AfterShip vs ShipStation for Shopify Returns Under 50 Orders
AfterShip vs ShipStation for Shopify Returns: Which Fits a Store Under 50 Orders?
If you ship fewer than 50 orders a month, returns are a different problem than they are for a high-volume merchant. You don't need a returns department. You need a way for a customer to request a return without emailing you five times, a way to issue a label without manually building it in the carrier's dashboard, and a way to keep your Shopify inventory and refunds straight. AfterShip and ShipStation both touch returns for Shopify stores, but they were built for different jobs. Here's how they compare when you're small.
How Each Tool Handles Returns on Shopify
ShipStation is a shipping and order-fulfillment platform first. Its core value is pulling orders from Shopify (and other channels) into one queue, buying labels in bulk, and pushing tracking back to the store. Returns are a secondary feature: you can create a return label for a customer, and ShipStation has expanded its returns capabilities over time, but the workflow is still oriented around you, the merchant, generating a label. The customer experience is typically "email the store, get a label back."
AfterShip is a post-purchase platform. Its returns product (AfterShip Returns) is built around a self-service returns portal: you set return rules (windows, reasons, whether items are refundable or exchangeable), and customers submit requests themselves through a branded page. Approved returns can trigger automatic label generation, and the status flows back to Shopify. AfterShip also offers tracking pages and shipping, but returns is a first-class product, not a side feature.
The practical difference: with ShipStation, you're the returns desk. With AfterShip, your storefront is the returns desk and you approve exceptions.
For a store under 50 orders, the ShipStation approach works fine if returns are rare — say one or two a month. The AfterShip approach pays off the moment you want customers to stop emailing you, or you start getting enough returns that manual label-building eats an hour you don't have.
Return Label Costs: What You'll Actually Pay
Neither tool makes shipping free. What you pay depends on the carrier rates each platform exposes and whether you're passing the cost to the customer.
| Cost factor | ShipStation | AfterShip |
|---|---|---|
| Platform subscription | Required for label buying; check current pricing | Returns available on paid plans; check current pricing |
| Return label rate | Uses your negotiated carrier rates where supported; otherwise standard rates | Uses connected carrier accounts; rates depend on your carrier setup |
| Who pays the label | Configurable — you or the customer, but often handled manually | Configurable in return rules (customer-paid, merchant-paid, or conditional) |
| Label automation | Manual per-return in most small-store setups | Rules-based automatic label issuance on approval |
| Refund processing | Handled in Shopify | Handled in Shopify, with status synced |
The line that matters most for a small store is who pays the label. If you're absorbing return shipping, every return is a real cost whether you use ShipStation or AfterShip. If you want customers to pay, AfterShip's return rules can enforce that automatically, while ShipStation usually means you invoice or collect payment separately. Before committing, check current pricing on both sites and confirm which carrier rates you'll actually get — that's where the real difference shows up.
Setup Effort: Which One Gets You Live Faster?
ShipStation setup for a Shopify store is fast on the shipping side: connect the store, connect a carrier, and you're buying labels. If you only need occasional return labels, you can be operational in an afternoon. The returns piece is lighter, so there's less to configure — but also less to configure for you.
AfterShip setup for returns involves more decisions: return windows, reasons, refund vs. exchange rules, who pays shipping, which items are eligible, and what the portal looks like. That's maybe an hour or two of configuration for a simple policy, plus testing a request end-to-end. The payoff is that once it's set, a customer can complete a return without you touching it.
If you already use ShipStation for shipping, adding AfterShip Returns means running two tools. That's a real cost in attention for a solo operator. If you're starting fresh, AfterShip's returns portal is the more complete returns product, and ShipStation is the stronger shipping tool — some small stores end up with both, or pick one based on which problem hurts more.
Pricing Reality Check for Very Low-Volume Sellers
At under 50 orders a month, you're paying for software that mostly sits idle. That changes the math.
- ShipStation: priced around shipping volume tiers. At low volume you're on the cheapest tier, but you're paying for a shipping platform — worth it only if you're actually buying labels through it regularly. Check current pricing.
- AfterShip: returns sits within a broader post-purchase suite, and plan structure has changed over time. Confirm which plan includes Returns and whether the order volume on your plan covers your store. Check current pricing.
- The hidden cost: time. If manual returns take 30–45 minutes each and you get three a month, that's under two hours — probably not worth a subscription on its own. If you get ten, or if returns are driving bad reviews because customers can't figure out how to start one, the automation earns its keep.
Don't buy either tool for returns alone at this volume unless returns are actually a pain point. Buy the one that solves the pain you have.
Where Each Tool Falls Short at Low Volume
ShipStation's gaps for small stores: - Returns are not the product's center of gravity, so the customer-facing experience is thin — no self-service portal in the way AfterShip provides one. - You'll likely handle requests by email and generate labels one at a time. - If you don't ship through ShipStation, paying for it just for returns is hard to justify.
AfterShip's gaps for small stores: - More configuration than a five-returns-a-month store strictly needs. - Running it alongside ShipStation means two dashboards and two sets of settings. - The broader platform is priced for merchants with more post-purchase volume; at 50 orders you may be paying for capacity you don't use. Check current pricing and plan limits.
Neither is a bad choice. The failure mode is buying the bigger tool, under-configuring it, and ending up with manual returns anyway.
The Verdict: Which Returns Workflow Should a Small Shopify Store Pick?
Pick AfterShip Returns if your goal is to stop handling returns by email, you want customers to self-serve through a branded portal, and you want return rules (windows, who pays shipping, exchange vs. refund) enforced automatically. For a store under 50 orders, this is the cleaner returns product, and the setup effort is a one-time cost that pays back the first time a customer completes a return without contacting you.
Pick ShipStation if shipping is your bigger headache and returns are rare enough that a manual label here and there is fine. It's the better shipping tool, and if you're already using it, adding a separate returns platform may not be worth it yet.
The practical rule: if returns are costing you customer emails, bad reviews, or manual label-building time, go with AfterShip Returns. If returns are a once-a-month chore and your real problem is getting orders out the door, ShipStation is the better fit. Check current pricing on both before you commit, and confirm the carrier rates you'll actually get — that's the number that decides whether either tool pays for itself.
Whichever you choose, write your return policy down before you configure anything. The software just enforces the rules you set.
FAQ
Do I need both AfterShip and ShipStation? Not at low volume. If you ship through ShipStation and returns are rare, you can skip AfterShip. If returns are the pain point, AfterShip Returns can handle the customer-facing workflow while you keep shipping wherever it works best.
Can AfterShip Returns issue prepaid labels automatically? Yes — return rules can be configured to generate labels on approval, with the cost assigned to you or the customer depending on your settings. Confirm the specifics for your carrier and plan, since label options vary.
Is ShipStation's returns feature enough for a store doing 20 orders a month? Often yes, if returns are infrequent and you're comfortable generating labels manually. It becomes limiting when customers expect self-service or when you want rules enforced without your involvement.